Therapy Areas: Inflammatory Diseases
Pfizer Inks Clinical Development Agreement with Novartis to Advance the Treatment of NASH
30 October 2018 - - US-based biopharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) has entered into a non-exclusive clinical development agreement with Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis (NYSE: NVS) to investigate one or more combination therapies for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, the company said.

The companies will conduct both non-clinical and Phase 1 clinical studies of Pfizer's investigational therapies, including an Acetyl CoA-Carboxylase Inhibitor (PF-05221304, currently in Phase 2), a Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) Inhibitor (PF-06865571, Phase 1) and a Ketohexokinase Inhibitor (PF-06835919, Phase 2), together with Novartis's tropifexor, a non-bile acid, Farnesoid X receptor agonist.

With three assets in development, and several first-in-class pre-clinical candidates under investigation, Pfizer is building a robust NASH program, which was entirely developed in-house and targets NASH through multiple, diverse pathways of the disease.

The collaboration with Novartis helps Pfizer to explore combination approaches at an early stage.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is a serious, progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease caused by a buildup of fat in the liver accompanied by inflammation, liver cell scarring and damage.

Due to its lack of symptoms, NASH is often unrecognized and underdiagnosed, but it is believed to affect at least three to 5% of the global adult population. With no currently available treatments, NASH is expected to be the leading cause of liver transplants within the next decade.

Pfizer is committed to researching multiple pathways to treat NASH at different stages of its progression with monotherapies, or combinations of medicines, to address different aspects of the disease.
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